Personas and Gems
by chimchar14
Summary: A new mystery is surrounding Beach City. Fog is engulfing it periodically, and rumors of a strange channel appearing at midnight have spread. After an encounter with a dead man and a private meeting in the Velvet Room, Steven Universe is now given the power to call upon Personas in his quest to save his town and the people he cares for.
1. I am thou

"Well then, this is quite intriguing."

Steven's body felt weightless, unfocused yet drawn directly to the two people in front of him. Instinctively his hand went over his gem on his stomach and clutched it protectively.

"Do not be afraid young one, you are in good hands here in the Velvet Room." Steven's gaze looked upon the speaker, a slightly hunched weird looking man with bloodshot eyes and a long pointy nose. He knew better than to judge others, yet he couldn't help but feel uneasy. He wanted to speak up and act questions, but his body was too weak to act anymore than he already had.

"I am Igor, and this is my assistant Margaret." He directs the attention to a blonde woman in a blue suit, who gave a polite hello to him before Igor continued. "You may already know this, but you have a very special destiny, what you don't know is, you will meet a special person that will change your life for the better, and assist you in your quest to protect all of the ones you love from a new threat."

Steven immediately began to worry of the gems, his dad, and the many occupants of Beach City.

"Our role is to guide you in your journey. Once your power from the sea of your soul has awakened, we will meet again. For now though, it is time for you to wake up."

Steven gasps loudly as he sits up in his bed, panting heavily. "Ugh, no more donuts before bed." Steven shakes his head to try and wave off the strange dream before getting out of bed to start his morning routine of getting dressed and eating breakfast. Just as he finished though, the familiar sound of the warp pad being activated alerted him.

Garnet approached out of the light and toward Steven, gently putting a hand on his shoulder. "Steven, I know it's early but we need your help on a mission."

"Huh? What's wrong? You guys usually can do missions without me, where's Amethyst and Pearl?"

"Pearl and Amethyst are currently trying to catch the corrupted gem. I believe we will need you and your shield. My future vision hasn't made it clear, but you're the key in helping us."

"Wow! Well I can't say no to that!" Steven has stars in his eyes as he follows Garnet onto the pad and they beamed off in a flash of light into a strange open field with a dilapidated looking house nearby. Next to the house was Amethyst and Pearl, the former banging on the door.

"Ugh, why is this place even locked? It doesn't look like anyone would live here." Amethyst groans before turning around and smiling when seeing Garnet return with Steven. "Back already? And it seems we got our cavalry." She chuckles before messing with Steven's hair.

"The door is locked Garnet, but we know the gem is here. I believe we'll have to break it down and leave an apology note later." Pearl hated unnecessary destruction of homes, but could not allow a corrupted gem to escape and cause future damage.

Garnet nods before easily kicking down the door. The Crystal Gems enter the house to see the inside damage worse than the outside. Furniture was ripped apart, a lamp shattered, electrical wires hanging loosely, and small but still noticeable dark red splatters on the wall.

"What happened here?" Pearls asks in a slight tone of fear before hugging Steven close, worried for his safety.

"Whoa, this place makes my room look clean in comparison." Amethyst states as she walks deeper into the house, her eyes widening though as she finds something. "Uh, guys? You might wanna check this out." The others follow her and gasp at the scene. A dead body of a young human male, barely older than 17 years, his left hand over his chest which was bloodied and deeply wounded, looking as if someone, or something, slashed him open. His right hand was bloodied and with glass embedded in it. Next to the body was a huge TV bigger than a window, the screen completely shattered, with the occasional electrical spark.

"D-don't look Steven!" Pearl immediately covers his eyes with one hand, and using her other hand to cover her mouth in astonishment.

"Pearl, I'm sorry but Steven needs his eyes to help us, The corrupted gem must have attacked this human."

"B-but"

"Steven has his shield, he will be okay." Garnet puts a hand on Pearl's shoulder, making her sigh before reluctantly letting go of Steven.

"I-I'm okay but...this is pretty scary." He looks at the dead human, trying not to vomit and taking steady breaths. As he relaxes, he notices something strange. "Wait...his hand is hurt." Steven carefully walks closer and looks at the body's hand. Sure enough, the glass embedded in his hand is the same material as what was part of the TV.

"Good eye Steven, I must admit that this confuses me too, why would the human destroy the television set while in a fight for his life?" Garnet adjusts her shades, seeming to be trying to look into the future for any help for this situation. Pearl and Amethyst look for clues around the body and TV, not noticing as Steven gets hit with a sudden wave of dizziness. His senses heighten and his ears pick up the sound of a faint whispering. Steven looks behind and gasps softly as he sees the corrupted gem.

A large pink round head that seemed too heavy for its shriveled looking body. In the middle of the head was a round gem, a moonstone. Steven notices when looking at its feet, it was levitating off the ground. Looking at its hands though, there were no claws or any sharp lethal looking parts of its body.

"Steven! Get back!" Pearl and the other gems finally notice the corrupted being and stand in front of Steven, readying their weapons. The floating gem only stays motionless, small whispers seeming to come from it, but no visible mouth was on it.

"Guys wait! I don't think the corrupted gem did this! Look at its hands, no blood or claws." They listen to Steven's reasoning and take notice of its lack of wounds and blood, as if it took no part of a fight recently. However, they clutch their heads as they now hear a high pitched whistling seeming to come from the gem. As the Crystal gems are distracted, Steven felt a cold hand on his shoulder, then looks behind to see none other but what was presumed to be a dead body, now standing on two feet and looking at Steven with blank eyes. The corrupted moonstone shines brightly as the shock of all these events are too much for Steven, along with a splitting headache and a vision of the smiling strange man from his dream, finally cause him to pass out.

"Hey there, sorry about the scare I gave you."

Steven gasps and pants heavily as he finds himself in black room, yet can see his own hands and body just as if there was natural light around him.

"Yoohoo! Over here!"

Steven's eyes look forward to see a young man smiling gently at him. Upon closer inspection, this boy was the exact same person who was a dead body a few seconds ago.  
"Wait! Before you scream and panic, let me tell you that I am not a zombie. Look, my body was on the verge of death, but Moony saved me."

"W-who's Moony?" Steven asked fearfully, yet willing to listen.

"Oh um, she's the moonstone gem. I guess she's corrupted by your standards, but she was a big help to me while I was alive. As a last ditch effort to save me and help me on my quest, she used all of her energy to transform my soul into a mental being to live in your mind."

"...what!? T-that's crazy!"

"I know! But Moony is very adept in psychic skills. It was because of her I was able to make it this far. Unfortunately I was caught off guard and now my body is dead. I'm sorry to drop this onto you Steven, but I need your help, and I'm sure Igor agrees that we need to work together."

"W-wait, you know that guy with in the weird room?"

"Yes, the Velvet Room. I wish I had more time to explain, but unfortunately you're waking up." Just as the young man finished his sentence, several familiar voices reach Steven and a white light surrounds him.

"Steven!"

"Gah!" Steven quickly rises from bed in astonishment, but a feeling of vertigo causes him to lay back down into bed. Looking to his left, he sees Pearl looking slightly distressed but relieved.

"Oh thank goodness. I'm sorry Steven, I saw your gem glowing and your face looked as if you were in pain."  
"I-it's okay Pearl...wait, what happened to me?"

"After the corrupted gem stopped screeching, it retreated into its gem. Whatever it was doing, it caused you to pass out, maybe it was too harsh on your human ears."  
"B-but what about the body? I-I remember it got up on its own and grabbed my shoulder."  
"Steven, it must have been a nightmare. It must have been traumatizing to see a human like that, but don't worry, we're all here for you." Pearl smiles softly before hugging Steven close, effectively helping both of them relax.

 _A deep bond exists between you two, that shall aid in your quest._

"Wow, a real dead body?"

"Yeah, it was pretty scary. I swear it got up and touched me, but the gems say they didn't see anything like that...maybe it was really a dream." Steven currently was retelling his recent adventure with the gems, secretly hoping that with her human perspective she can help get rid of any last fears of the body, or at least give sympathy.

"Dreams can be pretty powerful. One time I dreamt I was fighting with a sword, and woke up on my feet with my tennis racket in my hands." The two of them laugh at the silly thought, enjoying the peaceful time together. "Oh I almost forgot, have you heard of the new...mysterious rumor?"  
"Sounds exceptionally mysterious...go on." Steven, with his attention captured, leans closer to Connie.

"Well there have been people talking about a strange thing happening to TVs, a secret channel known as the Midnight Channel.. Apparently, if you stare at a blank TV screen at midnight while it is raining outside,the channel comes on and you see your destined soulmate."

"Soul mate? What's that?"

Connie blushed lightly at the question and averted her eyes. "Well um, it's like, the person you will spend your whole life with."  
"Oh, so maybe you'll be my soulmate." Steven smiled innocently at Connie, not fully grasping the meaning, and causing the girl to blush furiously.

"W-well, I guess the only way to know is if you watch it. It's supposed to rain tonight, so you if the rumor is true, you'll see someone."

"Alright! You said midnight? I'll do my best to stay up and watch it. But no matter what we see, we remain friends right?" Steven puts out his hand. Connie looks at his hand and smiles happily before shaking his hand and nodding.

 **11:59 pm**

Steven's eyelids were heavy as he looks at the bright screen on his phone, telling him the time. He puts his phone aside as he looks at the inactive TV. He heard a light beep from his phone, signaling it was midnight. Steven looks out his window to confirm Connie's words and yes, it was raining quite heavily. He looks toward the TV and sighs, still blank.

"I guess it was really just a rumor." He was about to go to bed when he hears a eerie static like noise coming from the TV. Steven immediately walks up close to the screen, a blurry figure of a person with long hair but a feminine build on the screen. It was hard to tell who it was, possibly he has never seen this person before, but he knew something was off. Steven reaches close to touch the screen, only for his hand to sink into the screen like a pool of water. With his small stature, Steven felt like his whole body was about to fall into the TV, but at the last second he pulled away. Steven looks at his hand in fear, relieved to find nothing wrong, but then looked to the TV. Soon the screen goes blank once more, nothing visible.

"You saw it too?" Connie responded in disbelief over the phone as she makes her way to Steven's home.

"Yeah. A blurry figure of a girl, but I have no idea who she is, not that it matters because the screen wasn't clear enough for me to get a good view. But get this, when I reached over to the TV, my hand went through! I mean, I didn't break the TV, but my arm was going through the screen like it was just a pool of water!"

"Going into the TV? I may have to take your word for it considering all the crazy stuff you go through."  
"But this seems like different crazy stuff, not related to the gems."

"Speaking of which, have you told them yet?"

"I can't, I already scared them enough when I passed out on our last mission. If I tell them about this, they may get too scared and break the TV, and then I won't be able to find out more."

"Yeah, I don't know about breaking the TV, but my parents would be scared too about this kinda thing. By the way, I'm here." Connie opens up the door and waves over to Steven who was on his bed before ending the call.

"Okay! Operation pretend having a sleepover but actually investigate the midnight channel is a go!"

"We really need to think of a shorter name for that." The two of them laugh a little before they get things prepared so they can stay awake while having fun.

Once again, rain batters the windows outside and the clock strikes midnight, the TV comes alive with the mysterious midnight channel.

"Steven! It's here!"

"H-huh? Yeah I'm awake!" Steven slaps his cheeks slightly to stir himself fully awake as he and Connie look to the screen. The image is much clearer this time, a young lady is on the screen with sandy brown hair and blue eyes. She smiles at the viewers, but Steven notices the little tears forming in her eyes.

"I'm sorry Max. I died." That was all she said before she turns around and began to run away from the screen, and heading into a bright green house, the doors opening wide just for her to run into. Soon though, a boy comes into view in the screen, and causing Steven to gasp in surprise.

"Steven? What's wrong?"

"T-that's the guy! T-the guy who was dead in the-"

"-house? Yeah that's me Steven, and I need your help." It seemed impossible, but the boy in the screen turns around and gives a small smirk, seeming to look directly at Steven and Connie. "Your friend can come too, but I warn you that it is extremely dangerous." The boy holds out his hand toward the viewers. Steven and Connie were in complete shock, unable to respond, but Steven slowly moves toward the screen and puts his hand to the screen, only for the screen to ripple and Steven's arm slowly pushes through.

"Steven wait!" Connie grabs onto his other arm, and both of them are pulled directly into the TV.


	2. Thou art I

"Took you long enough." The boy chuckles as he looks down at Steven and Connie groaning and getting up onto their feet. "Now come on, I'll explain later but we got monsters to fight!"

"NO! You wait and listen!" Steven yells out in agitation, surprising both Connie and the boy. "First I see your dead body, then you come back and touch my shoulder but the gems didn't see it, and then you show up in my dream and now in the TV, I want answers...please."

"...Wow." The young man chuckles and smiles wide at Steven. "Well, I guess I would be mad too if I was in your place. And we still have time before the fog settles in… alright, where do you want me to start?"

"I… don't know, I normally don't get this far when it comes to getting a straight answer."  
"I guess I'll start with my beginning.

My name is Maxwell Ignitus. I at first was just a regular human at the age of 16, attending school and living the average boring life, at least until rumors spread of a mysterious channel appearing at midnight while it was raining. I was skeptical at first, but when I tried it out for myself, I knew it was real. I didn't recognise the person on the TV at first, but then realised they were my next door neighbor, who apparently was interviewed about beating up a thief who broke into his home. I thought it was strange but did not think it was a big deal considering everyone was talking about him. What I didn't expect was that the next day, he was found dead hanging from a TV antenna.

I couldn't just wave this off as some kind of coincidence, a man near my home was murdered but the police were unable to find any cause of death. Thoughts of the TV haunted me the entire day until I finally decided to act. Looking at my wide screen television, I pressed my hand against the screen, only for my whole body to be sucked into the screen and end up here, in the midnight channel. I was lost and confused, with no way out. Then, these monsters came after me. Beasts of various sizes and shapes known as shadows hunting me down and trying to kill me. I thought I was a goner until I heard a girl's voice. She yelled out 'Persona!' and destroyed the monsters.

Her name was Rain, a self proclaimed investigator of the midnight channel. At first she tried to send me home, and I don't know what came over me, but I refused to leave. Whether it was the call of adventure or the desire to help those in need, I begged her to let me join her side and help in solving this dangerous mystery. To this day, I still don't know how I convinced her, but she smiled and agreed. Soon though, we came across my shadow. A shadow is essentially you, your darkest desires and thoughts incarnated. They taunt you by saying the dark truth to your face, and if you deny it all...they become a true monster.

I was powerless to stop it, but Rain put a hand on my shoulder and looked at me with kindness. She once again yelled out 'Persona' and a magical phoenix appeared at her side, raining down fire on the beast, and Rain managing to use a weaponized umbrella against the shadow until it was destroyed. It was difficult, but I looked to my shadow and accepted that what it said about me was true, it was a part of me that I must accept in order to move forward in life. In doing so, the shadow manifested into a new form, my persona, the personality I use to go forward in life. Rain's ironically was the Sun, and mine the Hierophant. She introduced me to moonstone, who I assumed was a shadow that had good emotions. Moonstone was able to transport us out of the TV and into safety, and helped us train our minds, as we cannot use personas outside the midnight channel. In the TV, moonstone looked similar to a human, a pink intelligent being who analyzed our enemies and helped us destroy them, but outside she was silent and in her corrupted form. The three of us aided each other in battling shadows and saving anyone caught in the midnight channel...however, one day the mastermind got to us.

He somehow tricked Rain into going into the TV alone, and I was unable to find her no matter how hard I looked. Shadows began to grow stronger and completely focused on killing me. In a desperate move, Moonstone pulled me out of the TV, but a shadow came out as well. Without my persona, I had to fight the shadow with only my physical strength and my bat, barely surviving. More shadows were trying to escape the TV and into the real world. Moonstone used her psychic powers to try and fend them off, but it was too much for her. With the last of my strength and my bat broken, I struck the TV with my fist and shattered it, closing the portal, but allowing a shadow to get a close attack and slash open my front. As I lay near death's door, Moonstone wailed in despair and ran away, possibly finding you and your crystal gem friends. Yet, I saw a vision when I closed my eyes, a strange looking man named Igor, saying my journey has hit a few bumps, but is far from over. I am to give my strength to aid the Fool and and put an end to this madness.

And then you know the rest from there" With Max's long story over, Steven and Connie look in awe and sympathy for what he endured. "I now reside in your mind Steven, as my physical body is ruined. In the midnight channel, I can come back and fight, but once back into the real world, I'll be back in your mind. I ask you both now, Rain may still be alive and I want to save her, will you both please help me?"

Steven and Connie look to each other before nodding firmly.

"We'll help, we can never leave someone in need."  
"Connie's right...so um, how do we do that Persona thing?"  
Max had a blank face as he looked at them. "I have no idea."

His reply caused Steven and Connie to fall over. "Okay let me rephrase that. Gaining a persona isn't simple, there are strange rules surrounding it. I only gained mine by facing a shadow of myself, I don't know how it will work for you two. You both seem to be well versed in fighting though, so you should be fine, just stick to me."

They nod as they follow Max as they make their way into the green house. In the center of the main room, it seems to be Rain with her back to them and giggling happily.

"Is that Rain?"  
"...no, I knew it was too good to be true. Persona!" A card lit with a blue flame around it appears in front of Maxwell, only to shatter as he closes his hand around it. A demonic beast emerges, with the head of a lion and body of an eagle, Anzu roars loudly, summoning a gust of wind that reveals the figure of Rain to actually be a grinning shadow, only to vanish. "Someone is playing with us, show yourself!"

No one answers except for the shadows that emerge, monsters with no body, just a round mouth and long tongue flailing about. "Oh gross, never mind. Alright Anzu, Garu!" Max summons another wind spell to attack the shadows, but does little damage as they rush at Max and whip at him with their tongues.

With the dark creatures surrounding them, Steven clutches at his chest as he feels a strange sensation coursing through his body. Connie wields her sword as she tries to fend back the monsters. "Steven, what's wrong? Steven!"

A blue flame surrounds Steven as a large warrior appears behind him and speaks to his mind.

 _I am thou, thou art I. The time has come. Open thy eyes and call forth what is within._

"Persona!" Steven yells out before giving a swift punch to the card appearing in front of him. Revealed is Izanagi, the warrior of the Fool Arcana. "Zio!" Automatically Steven commands Izanagi to send out bolts of lightning at the shadows, then joining the fight using his own shield to bash the malevolent beasts.

"Alright Steven! You did it! The Fool has come."

"Hey that's rude to say." Connie yells out before slashing a shock weakened shadow.

"No, every Persona falls under a certain Arcana, like I mentioned before, I am a hierophant, and Steven is the fool arcana, it represents innocence and inexperience, but also freedom and creativity. He will be able to create several different personas in the future, making him the 'jack of all trades' of our group." Max smiles as he grabs his bat and starts swinging at every shocked shadow, making them dissipate and vanish.

Soon Izanagi vanishes and Steven pants softly with a smile on his face. "That was so cool!"

"Yeah it was, but be careful. Using a Persona drains you of your strength and spirit, so using it too much will leave you exhausted and weak. Make sure to mix in your own combat abilities."

"You said earlier that I can make new personas?"

"Yes, Izanagi is powerful at first, but unfortunately we may encounter new shadows. While mine will transform into a new one of the Hierophant class, you will need to fuse your current personas into new stronger ones. Rain never told me how that works though, just that I should know this information, maybe we'll find out later. For now we should get out of here before something worse comes."

" _Like me?"_

"Exactly...wait what?" The trio look to see another Connie with a strange black fog around her. This Connie however was dressed differently, in a modest sundress and large hat along with glasses.

" _Oh what a fun ride this must be, going off on dangerous adventures and scaring your parents. I wonder how they would feel if one day one of the gems show up with your dead body in their hands."_

"H-hey, knock it off! I'm different from you now, I'm a warrior!" Connie clenched her fists around the sword handle as she stares down Shadow Connie.

" _Changed? Oh please, you're the exact same girl you always were, weak and scared with no friends. I bet Steven is only with you out of pity. Face it, this magical journey has nothing to do with you, and will leave you to die alone."_

"Stop it! Y-you, YOU'RE NOT ME!"

"Connie no!" Max calls out, but is too late as Connie's declaration causes the shadow to laugh and grow in size, revealing a horrific manifestation of her fears and negative thoughts. A fleshy figure of lady justice, no longer blind with a protruding grotesque yellow eyeball looking around, her sword serrated and jagged, and her balance now a spiked flail to punish unsparingly. The real Connie is heavily weakened from the negative energy of her shadow, leaving the battle for Maxwell and Steven.

"That's Connie's shadow?"  
"Yes, we need to weaken it with our personas, but whether it dies or not is up to Connie. For now lets throw down. Persona!" Anzu appears again and lets out a blast of wind, but does minimal damage. "Okay, so it seems to resist wind attacks. No matter, time to get up close and personal." Max readies his bat as he rushes up to the shadow, swinging his bat wildly to chip away at the beasts health.

"Don't forget about me, I won't let this thing hurt my Connie! Persona!" Izanagi is summoned to send bolts of lightning while Steven charges with his shield. Done with waiting, the shadow screeches into the air as it raises its sword to slash at Max, only for Steven to raise his shield to help block the attack.

"Is it normally this hard to defeat?"  
"Yeah pretty much." Max jumps onto Steven's shield for a boost into the air to smash his bat into the monster's eye, making it scream out in pain.

" _All this power, Connie was always jealous of it. If I can't have it, no one can!"_

Shadow Connie began summoning a bright white light before sending it to Steven.

"NO!" Max pushed Steven out of the way as the light enveloped him.

" _HAMA!"_

Max cries out in pain before fainting immediately on the ground.

"MAX!" Steven runs over to him and lifts his head up,

"Sorry Steven, the hama spell can instantly defeat anyone without an immunity to light and has a high chance of missing, but the way it was coming at you, I knew I couldn't let you fall."  
"D-don't worry...I don't know a lot about this Persona stuff, but I know I am a Crystal Gem, and I won't lose the people I care about, and that now includes you." Steven was about to try and using his healing spit, but then the shadow raised its flail and whipped it at Steven, repeatedly trying to hit him.

"Enough! I'm sorry for making Connie feel this way, but she isn't alone. You may be her fear and anger, but she truly shines through with her bravery and kindness. And you won't control or hurt her anymore!" Izanagi raises his blade in sync with Steven as he raises his shield. The two of them work as one as they rush toward the shadow, Steven bashing with all of his gem strength into the midsection of the shadow, while Izanagi drains a bit of Steven's health to use Cleave attack and slash through the monster. With one last screech, the chaotic lady liberty fell and dissipated until all that was left was a weaker Shadow Connie looking at the floor.

"...oh right, Connie! Max! Are you two okay?" Steven run over to check on both of them, helping Connie up while Max rubs his temples before getting onto his feet.

"Yeah, I'm better Steven...it was just a lot to take in. I'm sorry for not helping in the fight."

"Don't be too hard on yourself Connie, the exact same thing happened to me...facing your shadow is an extremely taxing moment. But to stand up to them and accept them...that's a different kind of strength."

Connie looked over to her shadow after listening to Max's explanation. She feels Steven put a hand on her shoulder and smile.

"No matter what happens, I will always be your friend Connie."  
She smiles appreciatively at Steven's words before walking over to the shadow. "I can't deny it. In the back of my mind, I do get jealous of all the magic and adventures. And sometimes I fear that I'm too in over my head and will end up getting hurt...but I don't let fear control me. Instead I learn to build up from that fear and work myself into getting stronger to prove I can be a real member of the crystal gems too." The shadow looks to Connie before smiling softly, a bright light surrounding it and Connie before a card shines in front of her.

"Congrats Connie, you got your Persona. And from the looks of the card, the Justice Arcana. As you grow stronger, your Persona will transform into a stronger form."

"Wow, my own Persona." Connie smiles before wobbling on her feet. "Sorry, that was pretty draining,"  
"It's fine, the first time is always rough...need to work on my phrasing. For now let's get back to the real world." Maxwell claps his hands and a bright light surrounds them before they vanish from the midnight channel.

 **Well here it is, a Steven Universe/ Persona 4 crossover. I just have recently finished Persona 4, planning on playing 3 and 5, and this idea got stuck in my head and wouldn't leave unless I tried it out. I doubt there are may fans of both series, let alone looking for something like this, but I thought I might as well just set up these two chapters and see what happens. As much as I would like to give these characters individual personas, I'm not creative or descriptive enough for it, and I don't wanna give them the personas of other characters, so I'll just have their Personas grow and 'evolve' into new stronger ones if I decide to continue. Hope someone manages to enjoy this.**


	3. Social Links

Steven wakes up as he feels the light of the sun beaming toward his eyes. He tries to sit up, but feels someone's weight on top of him. He slowly opens his eyes to see Connie nuzzling into his chest and sleeping soundly. He wasn't sure why, but Steven felt his face get hot, but instinctively pet her head lovingly.

" _I have to say, that's a cute scene."_

"H-huh? Max?" Steven looks around the room, only to see no one else.

" _Remember Steven, outside the TV I cannot have a physical form, so instead I reside in your brain until we return to the midnight channel."_

"Oh...so it wasn't just a dream. These shadows and Personas are real."  
" _Yes, and they will not be easy to defeat. Soon the midnight channel will attempt to kidnap people of Beach City. In order to stop them, we need to get stronger. One way to do it without getting hurt though, is social links. I'll inform you more about them soon, but for now, Connie is waking up."_

Steven looks down, and sure enough Connie wakes up and looks directly into Steven's eyes. Finally noticing their close proximity, she accidentally lets out a squeak and falls back.

"S-sorry Steven! I didn't mean to, I-I mean, I just landed there and...wait...oh right! The midnight channel, was all that stuff real?"  
"Well Max talks to me in my head, so I guess it is."  
"Wow! We gotta try this out! Persona!" Connie yells out enthusiastically, only for nothing to happen. "Oh right, Max said it only works in the midnight channel." She huffs softly but then smiles. "Well I'll still be able to use it once we get back in there."  
"Yeah! But, I was thinking maybe we shouldn't go back immediately. That place really tires me out for some reason."  
"True, I slept pretty deeply last night after that experience. You think we should tell the gems about this stuff?"  
"...it seems really dangerous, but we were able to prove we can fight. They have a lot to worry about on their own with all this gem stuff. Maybe it can be just us three for now, and if it gets too dangerous, then we can call on them for help."  
"Okay, but remember Steven, they're your family, they want to help because they care. I doubt they will stop you from going, even if you tell them."  
"How did you know I was worried about that?"  
"Because we're friends, that's why." The two smile at each other brightly.

Suddenly a bright flash appears for Steven, and a card floats in front of Connie as time seems to stop.

 _Thou art I...And I am thou…_

 _Thou hast established a new bond…_

 _Thou shalt be blessed when creating_

 _Personas of the Justice Arcana_

Steven's eyes regain focus as the card disappears and he sees Connie looking at him with concern.

"Everything okay Steven?"

"Y-yeah, I think it was more of that Persona stuff."  
" _Not just any Persona stuff, but a social link. When you bond with other people, you gain stronger Personas."  
_ "I'm guessing Max is explaining it?" Connie said with a small smile as she noticed Steven staring off into space.

"Yep, apparently the more I bond with others, the more powerful the Personas I get?"  
"Wow! As much as I want to help you with that, I should get home before my parents begin to worry. Just call me when you're ready to head back into the TV." Connie smiles and gives Steven a quick hug before leaving.

" _As much as I would like to give you a break Steven, we have one more thing to do. Igor is awaiting your presence. Take this."_

Steven feels a new weight in his pocket, which he quickly pulls out and examines.

"Not another mysterious key, I already dealt with one."  
" _No Steven, it is the Velvet key, which allows you to go into there."_

Even without corporeal arms to point, Steven felt his head turn and look to see a new glowing door in the wall that definitely wasn't there before. Steven looks at the key then slowly putting it into the keyhole and opening the door.

"Welcome once again to the Velvet Room, I assume Maxwell has completed my request."  
Steven looks to see Igor once again, his fingers lightly tapping against each other and a wide grin on his face. Beside him were Margaret and a tired looking Maxwell.

"Wait, Max? You're here too?"

"Allow me to explain dear boy," Igor intervenes to provide information. "The Velvet room resides between reality and dream. It both exists, and doesn't exist at all. Here we can let your mind be free, and mold it to create new Personas for you to use in battle."

"Here, I collected these after battling those shadows with you and Connie." He scoots over to Steven and reveals two new Persona cards of strange looking creatures. "Igor has the ability to fuse these cards together to make stronger Personas, it is up to you though to decide which skills and stats you need."

"Okay um, maybe combine this? No, what about Izanagi? But I can't just get rid of him." Poor Steven's eyes began to spin as he tried to focus.

"Here, allow me to help." He sits next to Steven as he looks through the possible combinations of the three cards. "Do not think of it as sacrificing lives, you cannot truly destroy the entity these cards reflect, you only create a new masks to wear as you go into battle. Ah, here's a good one. With your bond with Connie, this fusion will be much stronger."  
"Excellent choice." Igor takes the two cards and creates a blinding flashing light, a new card slowly descending back into his hand. "The Angel. While little strength, she is skilled in magic and curing ailments from allies. And with your current bond of Justice, she has gained the skill to destroy an enemy with one blast of light."  
"The hama spell." Max looks in wonder at the card before handing it to Steven. "Take good care of it Steven. And on the plus side, you still have Izanagi. But you may have to fuse him with another card soon in order to stay strong."  
"And do not worry, I will register your Personas, so if you ever need to collect a specific Persona you had before, I can summon one for you for a fee." Margaret informs before smiling softly at Steven.

Looking at the two Persona cards in his hands, Steven felt his determination rise.

Soon time went by as Steven's new power was discovered and new secret founded. He works with Connie as they train harder than ever, impressing the Crystal Gems with their progress, but bringing an innate worry.

"Steven." Garnet called out softly as she looks at Steven wiping off some sweat with a towel after a nice training session.

"Hey Garnet! Just getting some water." As he walks by though, he sees Pearl and Amethyst waiting beside her. "Is something wrong?"  
"You tell us, we noticed you have been taking your training more seriously. I see it in Connie too, has something happened?"

"Well. the thing is…" Steven felt his body trying to speak the truth on instinct, but he was still too scared to bring himself to do it.

" _Steven...you're not alone, let me help you."_ Max began to try and spread his being through Steven's mind, and help him find the right words to speak. " _Here, some of the truth, but not everything. Tell them this."  
_ "Okay, I can't tell you everything because I don't want to betray Connie's trust but...we encountered sort of an emotional obstacle with her. She felt scared and angry at herself, so I gave my time to help her feel better. It was very emotionally exhausting for both of us, but we feel like we grew closer because of it. Connie is determined now to become stronger than ever and prove herself a great asset to the team, and I want to be there with her, growing with her as we become strong warriors of the Crystal Gems."

While it wasn't the total truth, it helped put Steven at ease, and the gems too as they let his words soak in. Max gives himself a mental high five before trying to relax, although he didn't understand how he could feel exhausted as an incorporeal being.

Pearl was smiling wide with small tears in her eyes. "Oh, I am so proud of you two. We will respect Connie's wishes and not pry into it."  
"Yeah, we can wait until she feel ready, we all go through that kinda thing." Amethyst rubs the back of her neck before smiling at Steven.

"I'm glad you shared this with us, and we apologize for feeling suspicious of you two." Garnet pats Steven's head softly.

However, this bonding causes another flash and card to appear before Steven.

 _Thou art I...And I am thou…_

 _Thou hast established a new bond…_

 _Thou shalt be blessed when creating_

 _Personas of the Fool Arcana._

" _Well look at that, it seems you have developed a new bond with your team itself. Your life with the Crystal Gems has helped shaped you into the boy you are, so it would make sense that they are the key to improving your Fool Arcana...although I can't help but feel that bonding with them separately will create more."_

The gems soon leave Steven to be as he gets his drink and snacks.

"So Max, what was that?"  
" _What was what?"_

"The thing you did when i was talking to the gems. I didn't know what to say, but it felt like you were tickling my brain and helped me figure out what to say."  
" _Oh, right. I'm sorry for that Steven, but I couldn't sit back and watch. I couldn't speak with them directly, so I had to influence your mind, give it some help and instructions. I'll stop if you want."  
_ "Well, I just don't want to rely on just you for talking. I still need to speak for myself."

" _Well don't worry, I promise to only aid in emergencies or when you specifically request help."_

"Thanks Max." Yet once again, a flash of light and a card appears.

 _Thou art I...And I am thou…_

 _Thou hast established a new bond…_

 _Thou shalt be blessed when creating_

 _Personas of the Hierophant Arcana_

"Is that gonna happen every time?"  
" _Unfortunately yes, and I get to watch them with you since I'm in your mind."_

Steven just sighs before going back to his training with Connie. It seems a long adventure was ahead of them.


	4. The Chariot

A week has rolled by, Steven and Connie have excelled greatly in their training and their worry over the midnight channel began to diminish, but then a weather report came in of a heavy rainstorm the next night, expected to last until morning.

" _Rain again, you wouldn't expect so many rain showers coming at a beach, but here we are. I suggest you keep an eye on the midnight channel just in case."_

"You got it Max, I'll text it to Connie." Steven responded mentally as he comes back from the arcade to the temple. However, as he was about to open the front door, he saw through the screen and saw Pearl looking up at something. He noticed a sad look in her eyes before she sighed and turned away, walking back to her room. Steven waited until she left before going inside, then looking in the direction of her gaze...his eyes falling upon the portrait of Rose Quartz.

" _...15 years is a long time to grieve, but sometimes time isn't enough. I suggest we talk to her about it sometime, but for now give her some space."_

"You're right...it's just hard to see her like that and not be able to immediately help." Steven sighs before continuing his day.

It wasn't too long before it was midnight once again, the weather channel surprisingly right as he listens to the heavy raindrops splatter against the ground outside. Steven nods to himself before looking toward the television. Once again the TV comes to life, static audible as a silhouette is seen.

"Wait, it can't be…" But it was, he has seen that same body anywhere, whether fighting, crying, or caring for him. It was without a doubt Pearl. Steven heard his phone giving off a familiar tune before he answers the call. "I just saw it, it's gotta be Pearl right?"  
"Definitely! But how is that possible? When could have Pearl have gotten in there?"  
"I don't understand either. I saw her go into her room in the temple earlier, and she hasn't come out!"

"We gotta go into the TV and save her."

" _Whoa whoa whoa wait. Let's take a second. Steven, tell her exactly what I'm saying."_

"Um, wait Connie, Max wants me to speak for him."  
" _Look, there won't just be shadows in there this time, if Pearl is inside, her shadow will be there too. We can't just jump in now, and we can't have Connie jump into a random TV or else she may end up somewhere too far away. If these cases are similar to what I experienced, she won't be killed by her shadow until the fog in there lifts, and it will only lift once it becomes foggy in the real world. We have to be careful about this."  
_ "Okay, I guess we better sleep then. Steven, Max, I'll come over tomorrow and then we'll investigate the TV."

"Sounds like a plan. Goodnight Connie." Steven hangs up before looking at the TV, the screen now blank but Steven able to easily imagine Pearl's figure in it.

"Alright, backpack full of food and medical supplies, check. Connie with her sword, check. Shield, check. Amethyst eating a bagel and looking at us….wait what?"  
Steven was currently with Connie and getting their supplies ready to head into the TV. Unfortunately neither of them noticed Amethyst at the time.

"Jeez, you two looked more focus that Pearl when she was trying to clean up the ceiling after I got some cheese stuck up there. Speaking of which, have you two seen her lately?"

"Um, noooo." The two replied awkwardly before smiling, unfortunately not convincing Amethyst.

"What are you two up to, it seems very suspicious….I want in!" Amethyst exclaimed excitedly.

"Well you see, uh, Max can you give me a hand here?" Steven whispered the last part to Max, only for him to shrug.

" _She's gonna find out sooner or later, and so will Garnet considering Pearl has been kidnapped. I suggest we just hop into the TV and see what she does."  
_ "That's your plan!?"  
" _Hey I may be the Hierophant but that doesn't mean I know everything!"_

Steven gives an exasperated groan before looking to Connie, the two nodding to each other.

"Okay, Amethyst. It's hard to explain, so we're gonna have to show you." Steven and Connie hold hands before hopping into the TV, leaving a completely confused Amethyst.

Steven and Connie find themselves in front of a large temple, somewhat similar looking to the one in Beach City, but younger looking and in black and white.

"Interesting." Max speaks up as he appears behind Steven and Connie, much to their surprise. "Most realms in the midnight channel represent the inner thoughts of the captive. Is this a form of Pearl's memory?"

"Well whatever it is, we gotta go and save her!" With their goal in mind, the trio take their first step toward the entrance of the dungeon… only for another interruption.

"Incoming!"

"What the? GAH!" Max yells out in surprise as he was flattened by Amethyst, who appears to have fallen into the TV and directly onto Max.

"Amethyst! You followed us?"  
"Well yeah, you think I'm just gonna sit back and watch you guys go into a TV? And what is with this uncomfortable couch?"  
"I'm not a couch, and you're sitting on my spine!" Max pushes her off before getting up.

"Huh? Who's this guy, I thought only you two came in here."  
"It's a long story Amethyst. This guy is the dead body from before, then he went into my mind."

"And then he helped us with this stuff about Personas, and we're trying to use it to help save people and-" Steven and Connie ramble on to try and explain what happened so far, only to confuse Amethyst more.

"Wait, you lost me."  
Max facepalms before speaking up. "Long story short, Pearl has been kidnapped and she's in there." He points to the temple after his summary.

"Well why didn't you say so?! Hang on Pearl! I'm coming!" Amethyst runs head first into the dungeon, leaving the others in the dust.

"Well this isn't good. She doesn't have a Persona yet, so she's vulnerable to the shadows."

"Then we gotta go after her!" The three nod before heading into the dungeon after Amethyst.

Once inside though, they see how confusing the paths are.

"What is with this place? We've seen like three dead ends!" Connie yells out in frustration.

"The midnight channel is similar to the mind, a twisting and turning path with multiple blockades. We need to find a stairway and go to the higher floors." Max opens another door, only for a shadow to leap at him. "AH! Help! It's trying to claw out my eyes!"

"I got you! Persona!" Connie yells out as her Persona appears, Archangel summoned and using a bit of Connie's energy to attack. "Double Fangs!" Archangel slices twice at the shadow and manages to save Max's face.

"Thanks, a reminder that we gotta be careful not to let shadows get the drop on us." The three keep on moving until they finally reach a stairway. Once they climbed up though, they see the shadows already surrounding Amethyst.

"Amethyst!" Steven shouted out in concern.

"Damn, we're too late. Get your weapons ready." Max calls out to the team as they watch the scene before them. Her shadow begins to manifest before a taller Amethyst shows herself.

" _Pathetic and stupid as always. Running into battle even when you know you're far too weak to be of any use."  
_ Amethyst clutches her hands over her head as she tries not to listen to the shadow. "No, shut up!"

" _You could have been big and strong, but no, you're still an insignificant overcooked runt."_

"Stop it! YOU'RE NOT ME!"

With those words of denial, the shadow grins menacingly before beginning to take a new monstrous form. A red and black orb in the center trembles violently as huge brown and heavy stone blocks build around it, forming a massive stone golem that roars loudly at the weakened Amethyst and the Persona users.

"Don't let it scare you, we got this!" Max readies his bat while summoning his Persona to his side. It seems his Persona has risen in ranks, because no longer was Anzu next to him, but the golden protective spirit Shiisaa. Steven and Connie summon Izanagi and Archangel to their respective sides as they get ready to fight.

The shadow roars again as it raises both of its massive stone fists, slamming them down onto the ground and sending a shockwave knocking everyone off their feet. With everyone down, the shadow looks to Steven and raises another fist to strike him alone.

"Like hell you will, Rakukaja!" The spell raised Steven's defenses so once the fist slammed down, Steven was smiling and barely hurt.

"Thanks Max, although that spell sure is a mouthful. Kinda reminds me of this green alien guy when he did the makakahippopatamus."

"It's pronounced, Makankosappo." Connie interrupted before jumping into the air and slashing at the golem's fist, Rose's sword managing to cleave through it.

"Oh that's right, I always have trouble with those words." Steven shrugs before throwing his shield at the golem's other arm, blasting it to pieces.

"We can talk about anime later! Right now we got a shadow to destroy, Zionga!" Shiisaa responds to the command immediately, its eyes flashing before sending a powerful bolt of lightning, destroying the rest of the golem, and leaving the shadow's weak point defenseless. "Hurry! Attack the orb." Max swings his bat to try and attack it, but only does no damage.

"It's immune to physical attacks!?" The orb shakes around as it began to collect pieces of the golem to restore it again.

"Then try magic! I'll try to keep the golem from rebuilding." Connie continues to slash at the assembling pieces, sacrificing some health for more physical attacks. Max tries using another Zionga, but it only does little damage.

"We need to find it's weakness, Steven! Change your persona!"  
"Right! That's enough Izanagi, I need you Angel!" His Persona changed with a flash of light, a beautiful angel replacing Izanagi's placement. "Garu!" At his command, the angel sends out a blast of wind at the red and black orb, causing it to fall to the ground and heavily weakened.

"It's open, now's our chance to hit it with everything we got!" The three heroes were in sync as they rush at the orb, a cloud of weapons and limbs as they pummel the orb with all of their might. It proved to be too much for the shadow as it eventually dissipated from its monstrous form, now looking like a replica of Amethyst.

"Yeah! We did it!" Steven and Connie cheer happily, but Max directs their attention to Amethyst who was slowly getting up.

"It's not over, if she keep denying what exists in her, she will be destroyed. I don't know her well enough, but maybe you can help her Steven."  
Steven slowly nods as he walks over to Amethyst.

"Steven...no, don't look at me like this, this isn't me."

"...but amethyst, it is you. A part of you to be exact. Everyone has these shadows, our negative feelings that sit in the back and slowly try to kill us. It must make you feel horrible and weak, constantly being brought down by these feelings, but that is what family and friends are for. Garnet Pearl, and my mom saw the good in you and took you in, and now I'm here to say that you mean so much to me Amethyst, don't fall now." Steven clutched at his chest softly as he spoke, the words just flowing out easily before he slowly went to hug the gem close, their respective gems giving off a warm glow.

With tears in her eyes, Amethyst slowly nods before looking to her shadow. "Yeah, you are me. I am a runt, and sometimes I wish I wasn't, but I can't let it stop me. People love me for being me, so if they can care for me, then I can too." The shadow blinked before smiling slightly, a bright white light enveloping it before a blue card falls out of it and into Amethyst's grasp. The card shines and reveals the symbol of the Chariot. She smiles at it before finally collapsing.

"Amethyst!"

"Don't worry, she's okay. She's just exhausted. It would be best if we take her back and regain our energy. Pearl will be okay as long as we get her before the fog comes in our world."

Steven and Connie regretfully agree before helping Amethyst up, letting her rest her arms on their shoulders. Max snaps his fingers, returning them to the real world.

 **It seems Amethyst has gained her Persona now! This one was relatively easy to pick for her, Chariot involved doing lots of physical attacks, and usually consist of short tempered but very driven and self motivated characters with personal goals, such as Amethyst's desire to be stronger and protect her home.**


End file.
